Of and Pertaining to a Certain Reluctant Leader
by Silveriss
Summary: G1. After the Return of Optimus Prime, Hot Rod has to make a decision.


Disclaimer: Transformers © Hasbro, IDW Publishing, et. al. "Of and Pertaining to a Certain Reluctant Leader" and all original characters and places © Christine J. Burke.

Of and Pertaining to a Certain Reluctant Leader

One Shot:

The fiery Autobot youth, once leader of the Autobots, had once again been offered a position of leadership by Optimus Prime. A generous, caring and understanding leader, Optimus Prime had provided the youth with some time to carefully compute the possibilities of the position. It wasn't that Hot Rod, who was generally referred to as Rodimus in deference to his short reign over the Autobots, wasn't qualified for the position. Optimus Prime fully understood that Rodimus had been changed by his experiences. The youth had been thrust into a position of leadership long before anyone though him capable of taking on such responsibilities. The experience had left the youth aged in ways that left every member of the Autobot team feeling deep regret.

Usually, when faced with difficult decision, and particularly those involving leadership responsibilities, Hot Rod found himself on the road. No one was sure why he thought that way. Not even him. Hot Rod had always loved to race. He was, quite literally, built for speed. He was always happiest driving at what his human friends would call a break-neck pace.

In spite of all these tendencies, when word had gone around the base of Optimus Prime's off to the youth, no one could seem to find him. No one wanted to call him, and no one could find him on the various highways around Autobot City. The news that Optimus Prime was offering Rodimus a command position was met with reactions that ranged from excitement and approval to trepidation and concern. Many questioned if Rodimus was ready to take on another position of leadership. The concern didn't stem from questions about Rodimus' leadership skills but from the youth's emotional state. It was common knowledge that Rodimus chaffed quite badly under the mantle of leadership; no matter how well he wore it. No one wanted to really subject the youth to that stress again.

Knowing full well about Rodimus' tendency for hot-headed behavior, his friends sought to find him and offer their advice and support, whatever his final decision lead to. All of them wanted him to know they were there for him. Most of them thought it was a phenomenal opportunity if he was ready for it.

So the search for Hot Rod, who never really thought of himself as Rodimus, went on without yielding results. For once he was actually not moving. He was sitting on the bluff where Lookout Point used to stand. This place held significance to him. To Hot Rod this was the place where his life had changed into a nightmare. From here he had been the first to see the Decepticons that ruined his life. This was the point that had lead to Optimus' original defeat and his own raise to power in the terrible crisis that was Unicron.

Hot Rod had never had aspirations to leadership or power. He had always preferred fast times and fast fun. He wasn't prone to panic like his friend Blurr but couldn't be rated as slow by any means. Hot Rod's speed in thought and action had always made him appear reckless but it also managed to keep him one step ahead of his opponents. No matter his success as a leader his own sudden thrust into a position of authority had left him badly shaken and in doubt of his own ability. He was far from Optimus' first choice as a successor. That honor had gone to Ultra Magnus. It was rather hard to compete.

Hot Rod sat, his legs over the edge of the bluff, looking down at the wide expanse of forest, rivers and lakes intermingled with roads and highways all leading to and from Autobot City. Everything had been rebuilt since that one great battle years ago. To him it seemed like only yesterday but apparently life had moved on. Somewhere along the line, through all the battles and constant tension, the world had moved on, had healed.

"Lucky them," he whispered to the wind.

The words seemed to open his thoughts. Calculations and programs at speeds most humans couldn't conceive of flashed through his processors. In spite of all his super-speed computational functions he still found himself at a loss for what to do. The main question he couldn't seem to answer for himself was the only question that really mattered.

To incorporate other sensory programs in a not-quite-so-hopeful attempt for an answer, he decided to vocalize his single-most important question. "Do I accept this position or not?"

Unfortunately, the answer did not come to him. His confusion was too bound up in another query. Was he ready?

In spite of his frustrated confusion he still didn't resort to his traditional behavior. He continued to sit and contemplate, watching the world below him. Part of him wanted to make a decision quickly but his experiences had taught him well and they were telling him that this was not a decision to be made lightly or with reckless haste. His friends need not have worried. Hot Rod had every intention of thinking this new development through.

After several hours of searching, most of Hot Rod's friends had to give up their search. Either called away to other duties, distracted or just bored with the fruitless results of their search, each of the Autobots looking for him decided to leave him to his own devices. That is, everyone save one.

It's not that Springer had nothing better to do. He certainly did have other responsibilities, but Hot Rod was his best friend and, for a brief time he was also his leader. To Springer, finding and helping the younger Autobot was the most important thing he had to do that day.

Springer wasn't quite sure what made him think to continue his search up at Lookout Point but he made the long trip up the mountain anyway. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or relieved to see his friend sitting there gazing down at the vista below but he decided to approach with caution.

Springer's voice was just above a whisper. "Roddi?"

Hot Rod turned to look over his shoulder and gave a wiry grin. "I never could hide from you, could I?"

Springer walked cautiously up to his friend. "Just so long as you're not thinking of jumping. It's a long way down and First Aid is swamped with mechanical failures and upgrades."

Hot Rod actually laughed. "What? Optimus Prime offers me a promotion and you're worried I'm going to self-terminate? Have a little faith, would you?"

Springer grinned. Okay, so his friend wasn't in the foul mood everyone expected. He moved to settle beside his friend. He had even less fear of heights than his contemplative fiery friend. After all, if he fell he could always take to his helicopter mode and fly.

Springer glanced at his friend from the side, trying to gauge the other's mood. "So… Why here?"

Hot Rod simply gazed out over the vista for a while. "I suppose, in the end, I just wanted some room to think. No one but you ever looks for me here."

Springer nodded. "Fair enough. Have you come to a decision?" There was no point in beating around the bush. They both knew why they were both there. There needed to be no waste of words between them.

Hot Rod didn't disappoint. He certainly wasted no words. His answer was simple and directly to the point. "No. I haven't."

Springer was his friend. He wanted to help him. He thought the promotion would be good for him but it had to be Hot Rod's choice. "You're seriously thinking about turning it down?"

Hot Rod looked thoughtful and carefully weighed his words before answering. "Yeah, I am. I'm also seriously thinking about accepting. I just don't know which way to go. I'm trying not to think about what everyone will think of me either way but I'm worried about that. I know there are still some who blame me for poor decision-making. I wasn't exactly at my best during the Hate Plague."

Springer stayed quiet. Hot Rod was being serious. His usual blasé fairé attitude had been pushed aside completely. Springer was once again hit with the loss his best friend had suffered. Being Rodimus Prime took more out of him than they all really wanted to admit.

In deference to his friend's seriousness Springer stayed quiet, letting his friend think for himself. When the silence became too long he said quietly, "No one really knew what to do, Roddi. By the time anyone really understood the danger it was too late. We all wanted Optimus' body back. No one could blame you for that. Everyone knew… Everyone _knows_ how much Optimus meant to you. Everyone thought you were going to just charge right in but you didn't. You actually had a plan."

Hot Rod shook his head, looking sad and weary. "I shouldn't have gone at all. Dr. Morgan tried to warn us that it was a trap but I didn't listen. I didn't want to hear it… And by not listening I put the entire galaxy at risk." He looked at Springer, a weight behind his gaze that certainly didn't exist there ten years ago when they were both much more innocent bots.

Springer gave his friend a fiercely supportive look. "It was a trap. No one understood just how deadly it was until it was sprung. It was a crisis of monumental proportions and you kept your head and even came up with a damned good plan before you to the plague yourself." He hadn't even realized he'd been clutching his fists so tightly the metal was starting to whine in protest. He visibly forced himself to relax. "If it wasn't for you, Optimus Prime wouldn't be here and we'd all be either scrapped or madly crazed with hatred."

Springer stood up and paused to look down at his friend. "I just wanted you to know that, whatever you decide, we're all behind you."

Hot Rod looked back up at him. "I know. Thanks." He smiled ruefully. "I'm not the smart-mouthed kid I was when this mess started, Springer. I'm really thinking about this. I just need a bit of time for this one."

Springer nodded at him and smiled encouragingly. "Just don't take too long, Roddi. Everyone's worried." With that he transformed back into his vehicle mode and took off back down the mountain. Of course, Springer was much more careful and mindful of local traffic laws than his erstwhile leader and best friend.

Several hours later, Hot Rod was found exactly where he was supposed to be; in Metroplex's Space Port Command Center. He had been assigned to Space Port Operations in Metroplex after Optimus Prime returned to active duty. It certainly wasn't just a cushy desk job designed to keep an over-excited young 'bot out of trouble. The position was important and involving but not too demanding. Very rarely did the crew of Metroplex's Space Port ever have to deal with a real crisis. Hot Rod hadn't had to make a split-second decision in months. Of course, part of that was because he kept his defenses tight. Decepitcons found the Space Port to be almost impenetrable. They invariably looked for easier targets.

Hot Rod was actually responsible for averting several possible disasters in terms of Decepticon infiltrators. Never again wanting to see the kind of attack that deactivated many great Autobot heroes such as Ironhide, Prowl, Wheeljack and Optimus himself, Rodimus Prime employed an ancient Earth technique of having to identify oneself before being allowed clearance to land. On top of that, a code was required for access to various facilities. Failing to supply the proper code resulted in being escorted to a safer area to land while an invalid code marked a ship for closer inspection. While the system itself was far from perfect and certainly couldn't avert a determined infiltrator, it worked quite well as a sort of early warning system.

Hot Rod was determined never to have to face such a nightmare again. The ease in which Megatron slipped past their perimeter defenses left him with a feeling of corroding energy processing circuits. In fact, if Spike's son, Daniel, hadn't been so determined to watch the shuttle land, Megatron would have been inside Autobot City before anyone knew something was even wrong. The casualties could have been a lot worse.

Hot Rod had certainly learned from his past experiences. Even older, more experienced Autobots learned to respect him and came to value his insight and sharp wit. Though many considered Hot Rod to be reckless they also came to understand that the fiery youth was as sly as a turbo-fox and he never let his fears stop him from doing what he thought was right.

Kup was an old Autobot. He'd seen more in his long life than most people can dream of. He'd seen the raise and fall of both Optimus Prime and Megatron. He was there when Hot Rod become Rodimus Prime, inheriting the Matrix of Leadership. He'd seen the kid struggle with the responsibilities of leading all the Autobots, coordinating and holding the various peace negotiations held throughout the galaxy, and the unrelenting attacks of the Decepticons and Quintessons. Kup knew the kid was something special. He just wished the kid would believe it. The kid was good in the Space Port but, in his honest opinion, it was a waste of his talents.

Hot Rod was far too busy to contemplate the offer of promotion. It was a Tuesday. Tuesday was always a fiasco in the Space Port. That was when all the commercial shippers came in. Cargo coming to and from Earth made for little time to think about personal problems. Yeah, the Earth defense perimeter made certain that everything checked out before the freighters even got to Earth but that was no excuse to slack off. Too many times they had found Decepticons stowed away on various freighters. Mostly they had stopped trying but a small unit showed up every now and then to hound them.

While Decepticon activity was always a concern to the Autobots, Hot Rod was actually more concerned about the freighters' cargo and where they had been. The bedlam that occurred from merely docking all the ships wasn't nearly as annoying as the fact that he had to explain why the cargo had to be checked thoroughly. Sometimes ship captains demanded an explanation from him personally and that only slowed things down, causing more confusion, frustration and irritation.

The simplest answer was that the freighters were from off world and the native Earth population was having some trouble keeping up with the various organic microbes that had been coming in on a regular basis. Quarantines had become necessary. Earth's exposure to alien microbes had to be checked or its native populations might be in danger.

This new policy was more out of caution than any real danger to the human race but Hot Rod could certainly understand it. After all, he had implemented it. After watching Daniel fight severe flu-like symptoms for nearly a month, the young Autobot suggested using the old Earth "Customs" system. Imports into foreign countries had to be checked for illegal and potentially damaging goods before being allowed into the general population. While the system wasn't designed to keep the goods from the local population it did help limit the population's exposure to potentially damaging foreign matter.

Hot Rod's insight into human commerce came as quite a surprise to most of his friends and associates. It certainly came as a surprise to Optimus Prime himself. Optimus had spent most of his original term as Prime as a military leader. He had passed on the Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus who also had an extensive military background. It wasn't that either Optimus or Ultra Magnus were specifically programmed for war but it's what their programs had to adapt to.

Rodimus, on the other hand, had to be a diplomat. Most of his short term as Prime consisted of constant peace negotiations throughout the galaxy. In this respect Optimus Prime had a great deal of respect for the young leader. Hot Rod's ability to adapt to an era without war, indeed to stop wars and prevent them from recurring had proved remarkable. Even without the threat of galactic war Hot Rod kept up the Autobot defenses and prevented Galvatron from regaining too much of his military strength. There had been skirmishes but Rodimus' most dangerous foe turned out to be the Quintessons.

Even if no one else seemed to realize the progress Rodimus brought about in his term as Prime, Optimus Prime was exceptionally aware of it. The galaxy he faced once he reclaimed the title of Prime was vastly different from the one that existed during his original term. Optimus had never before had to deal directly with the Quintessons.

When faced with the same problems as Rodimus Prime had been, Optimus Prime often found himself overwhelmed. Where Megatron and his Decepticons were clearly almost single-minded in their goals, making their actions almost predictable, the Quintessons were cunning and secretive. One face would smile at you and behave as a friend, another face would be cold, ruthless and calculating, and yet another face would actively seek to undermine and destroy you and everything you had worked for. More and more often Optimus Prime had found himself relying on the experiences of Rodimus and his closest friends.

As Optimus watched over the comings and goings of the Space Port his optics came to rest once again on the young Autobot whom he had just offered a promotion to. The promotion would effectively make Hot Rod his counterpart on Cybertron. Technically that might be viewed as an unwise decision due to Hot Rod's rather explosive temper and his love of the fast life. However, Optimus was certain it would work. Hot Rod already had tremendous experience acting as a diplomat. To Optimus he was the perfect choice for this new, almost non-military position. Optimus needed someone who could direct recovery operations on Cybertron. Ultra Magnus was a soldier. He simply wasn't programmed for the kind of progressive thinking that Optimus needed directing Cybertron's revival.

In the end Hot Rod's decision came as a welcome surprise to his fellow Autobots. There was no monumental catastrophe to force the young mech to make his decision. The next morning, before his shift in the spaceport began, he walked to Optimus Prime's office, knocked politely before entering, and merely stated, "I accept." Optimus Prime's optics lit up brightly, especially at the surprised look that found its way to Ultra Magnus' face.

Hot Rod, known as Rodimus in deference to his short term as Prime, was certainly a surprising Autobot. Always learning from his experiences, he's proven to be a cunning leader, resolving crises swiftly and with the most benefit for each of the Autobots' allies. Never one to take full credit for the accomplishments of his team he has become a well-trusted and much loved leader. Optimus Prime chose the fiery youth as his counterpart on Cybertron because the young leader is exactly what the newly awakened and slowly prospering planet needs; a strong and vibrant future that knows no fear.


End file.
